Having now finally got their new manager, Julien Stephan, through the door at Loftus Road, Queens Park Rangers have a fair bit of planning and building to do in the summer transfer window ahead of next season.
There will be a desire from the Hoops’ hierarchy and the supporters for QPR to sustain a genuine promotion challenge in the Championship next season, and they are building an impressive squad.
It took a while for QPR to get the managerial situation sorted out, with Julian Stephan finally having now been announced as the new boss in west London last week.
Marti Cifuentes had been placed on gardening leave with a game of the 2024/25 season to go, and his departure from Loftus Road was finally officially confirmed last week, too.
Now, as they continue to build on what is turning into an exciting young squad, Queens Park Rangers should line up a move for versatile Leeds United attacker Joe Gelhardt.
Stephan has a good track record of developing young players
During his managerial career, Stephan has proved himself to be a coach very capable of developing talent, as was the case during his time at Stade Rennais.
Whether that be helping to bring talent through the ranks at Rennes as the B team coach, or nurturing and improving players with potential, helping them take the next step in the development in the first-team, such as Raphinha.
Raphinha while playing for Leeds United
Gelhardt would fall into the category of the latter as a player who has shown glimpses of quality and someone who has been highly rated from a young age, but someone who appears to just be waiting to burst into life and show the quality that everyone believes him to have.
The former Wigan Athletic forward joined Leeds in the summer of 2020, and he has played over 50 games for the Yorkshire giants, but he has never cemented a role at Elland Road.
Joe Gelhardt scores for Leeds United vs Shrewsbury Town
In the second-half of last season, he showed signs of improvement in his overall play whilst on loan at Ruben Selles’ Hull City, and he appears ready to take the next step towards consistency.
Stephan could well be the man that can provide that stability and consistency required for him to become a force in the Championship, with the Liverpudlian turning 23 last month.
Gelhardt would fit in well at QPR
QPR’s business so far this summer has been impressive and intriguing, with the R’s bringing in Kealey Adamson from Macarthur for an undisclosed fee, as well as Amadou Mbengue on a free transfer from Reading.
The standout addition has been Kwame Poku, after QPR agreed a compensation package with Peterborough United for the thrilling Ghana international winger.
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The Brighton defender is edging closer to a move back to Lancashire.
Poku will certainly be someone else who is seeking to flourish under the development of Stephan, but there are perhaps a couple of holes in the squad that need filling – and they could be filled by Gelhardt.
They have a couple of out and out strikers in Michael Frey and Zan Celar, as well as the returning Charlie Kelman, but the first two haven’t necessarily thrived as of yet at Loftus Road, whilst the latter is returning to the Championship, where he remains without a goal, on the back of finishing up as the top scorer in League One.
The likes of Ilias Chair, Paul Smyth and the aforementioned Poku make up first-team options for the wide and attacking midfield roles, alongside youngster Daniel Bennie, as well as Taylor Richards and Harvey Vale, the former was on loan at Cambridge United last season and the latter is yet to play for the club after joining from Chelsea in the winter.
Joe Gelhardt's career stats
Player
Wigan Athletic
Leeds United
Sunderland
Hull City
Source: FotMob
QPR basically have a few options for each of their attacking roles but perhaps not the depth that they would desire nor require, as well as a lack of a player who could adapt well into each or any of the roles.
Gelhardt’s versatility of being able to play up-front, out-wide or in the number ten provides him a point of difference, and is something that would surely excite Stephan, who aims to play a fluid style of football that Gelhardt would be well suited to.